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How to Block on Pinterest and Hide Pins From Unwanted Users

Finally, there’s a Feature to let you Report or Block someone on Pinterest, and it’s going to change the way Businesses Think about Pinterest Marketing.

UPDATE (10/18/2012): Yesterday we posted exclusive instructions to find the Pinterest blocking feature before it was officially released. Pinterest has since officially announced the feature and expects to roll it out to users this week. If you’re still not seeing the feature, you can find the instructions to unlock it here.

We are really glad to see Pinterest releasing their new block feature today. It’s been a hotly requested feature for quite some time and could significantly reduce spam and improve content quality on the site. Users have complained about irrelevant content in the their feeds, mainly fueled by Community/Contributor Boards that could have hundreds of contributors. This is a big step to combat that issue, and will betterposition Pinterest to provide a more relevant, hyper-targeted content stream compared to facebook or twitter.

In a company blog post published today, Pinterest software engineer Dannie Chu writes:

Pinterest is all about you and what inspires you. That’s why it’s important that you have control of your Pinterest experience. We’ve always offered basic features to control things like the emails you receive, social networking sites you connect your account with, and the ability to report pins. Today, we’re adding a couple of new features people have requested to give you more control, including the ability to block and report a user and more granular email settings.

Source: blog.pinterest.com

Pinterest Marketing for Business will Change (for the Better)

Why is letting someone block on Pinterest so important for brands? People will now have much more control over the content they see, and this could mean having a slightly lower reach for anything you pin. However, as a brand or business marketing on Pinterest, this also means thattargeting your engagement to the right people will become more important than ever.

Greater control = much more relevant content for users.

The audience you build will have much stronger connections to you than on any other social networks. Your fanbase might not be as large, or grow as quickly as on Twitter or Facebook, but each fan will be massively more valuable to you.

Pinterest > Twitter and Facebook

We already know that Pinterest drives about 14x more referrals per user than Twitter and 12.5x more referrals per user than Facebook…

Source: PinLeague keynote presentation at Digital Summit in Atlanta (Click for full presentation)

However, it’s becoming clear that when it comes tooverall value per follower, Pinterest has an even larger advantage over Facebook and Twitter, and it will only continue to widen the gap.

How to Block People on Pinterest and Remove their Pins from Your Stream

Blocking people on Pinterest is pretty simple:

Source: blog.pinterest.com

Click on the small flag icon in the bottom-right corner of someone’s profile information, and then choose to block them. You also have the option to report this person if they are posting inappropriate content.

What happens when you block someone on Pinterest:

The other person is NOT automatically notified. However, they will be notified of the block and see the following message if they try to follow you or interact with your pins.

The block is mutual – The person you block will not be able to follow you or interact with your pins, and you will no longer be able to follow them or interact with their pins.

Automatic Unfollow – If you are already following this person, or they are following you, blocking them will cause you both to automatically unfollow each other.

Comments Removed – Any previous comments between you and the other person will be automatically removed.

Repins and Likes are NOT automatically removed – You will no longer be able to repin or like any of each other’s pins from that point forward, but previous repins and likes will remain. If you want to remove those, you will be able to unlike or delete pins individually.

In Public Areas only, you might still see their boards and pins:

Search results

Category Pages

Group boards if you are both collaborators

What do you think of the new block feature? Do you plan on using it? How do you think it will affect you? Comment below and let us know!

I am thinking of leaving Pinterest because a few people are blocking me and I have no idea what I’ve done wrong. I have read and read the rules and still don’t know what I’ve done wrong. Could someone please please explain? Thanks in advance….. Sharon Lambert

L. Fox

I totally agree with you 100%. It’s offensive and I’m tired of it also.

SilverChic

For the first time since being on Pinterest, I just found out that someone had blocked me when I tried to pin something similar to the things I normally pin. I have no idea what their complaint is against me. After viewing their boards, all I can guess is maybe they are jealous because I have more boards, more followers, (something that they can’t handle so they blocked me). Also, after viewing their boards, I say….no loss to me! I love my boards and do not care if a few weirdoes block me. I did go in and block this person too. (I never blocked anyone myself, so I had to find out how to do it).

Trudy Macy

Blocking has become a social outcast system that is rampant on pinterest. Groups of women, acting like gang leaders, gossiping, spreading rumours and hate, bullying, and blacklisting me for no good reason….I am about ready to go to the media on this.One major league group board pin er and I had a disagreement, and since, she has gotten over 40 women (and more daily) to block me , as well as throw me off group boards. I have been accused of all kinds of things……it is out of control.

Anne

This feature does NOT go far enough…having nasty people and stalkers in your life being able to follow you makes the site no fun to be on. I think that if I block someone, it should be like a facebook block where they can no longer find me in search as well. Hope this happens one day.

L. Fox

I totally disagree because I am an innocent pinner who keeps being blocked for no reason by ignornant women who don’t have to explain why and It is very offensive to me. Two pinners pinned from MY boards and then blocked me afterwards. I want to know why. I use to enjoy Pinterest but being blocked six times now and not knowing why pisses me off.

RK Tor

Why do you care? They are just a few random strangers on an earth with billions of potential followers. They are not even worth the time you waste on being offended.

Boosh Woggle

i block spammers but because it doesn’t remove them from the search results, blocking them is useless!!

Maria

There is one woman who posts pics and will demand if you pin more then 7 pins she will block you. I like one of her pins. She then with capped locks started writing manically that she was being abused, that people were stealing from her! She was writing why were people pinning from her? She even went as far as saying that she is a good person and she can’t understand why this is happening to her! Clearly she needs to be off Pinterest! Imagine if she was on twitter and someone retweeted! She would have to restrained!!!!

RK Tor

Sounds like she’s unstable. Maybe it’s best if you block her first and just move on.

RK Tor

This is by far my favorite feature. I don’t know how many times spam bots have ripped off entire boards of mine, pinning every single pin and giving the board the same title. Now when I see this happening, I can just block them.

grout4cake

It doesn’t really block them , they can still see your boards and find the images.

All Things New

This is not a true block. As long as someone can still SEE my existence on Pinterest, they are not blocked. The way Pinterest has set this up only antagonizes the stalkers and makes things worse. A TRUE block means one can literally *disappear* from their stalker (i.e., unkind, bullying, mentally-ill family member) like on FB. Pinterest must wake up and realize there are some very abusive people in the world who use Pinterest to spread hatred, even off-line. PINTEREST–PROTECT YOUR USERS with COMPLETE ANONYMITY!

I have to say that today I was shocked to have been blocked by someone when I went to try and repin one of their pins. I am not a spammer nor do I copy whole chunks of people boards. These people do not own the images they are pinning and to be honest it is making me feel differently about pinterest. What was once a great place to share things of interest is becoming as political as bloody Facebook. Not a smart move by Pinterest, spoilt a perfectly good thing.

AJ

I like sharing amazing things I find online. However, having someone repin almost everything that I post with similar title, receiving notification everyday of the same copy/paste message has started to aggravate me. This is why I decided to block this person because it has been going on for far too long and when I look at this person’s board, almost 50%+ were repinned from my board. I would appreciate it if they could have had many other contents from other sources, but that is not the case. I would not mind someone following my board and follow, but with moderation.

Linda Mapplebeck

I am not sure why you have replied to myself as though you are relating your comments to me. I don’t even know who you are ? With regards to blocking on Pinterest – I find it sad if the only thing you have to worry about on waking in the morning is a message on your computer or phone to say that someone has repinned images that you yourself have repinned from somewhere else or from someone elses boards. I personally could care less if people enjoy my pins so much that they choose to repin them. After all none of us own any of the images. Let me just put Pinterest into perspective for you AJ – if the Internet was gone tomorrow – you would have nothing as you don’t own any of it. How sad that digital bullying has reached Pinterest where everyone enjoys sharing gorgeous images and ideas but small minded individuals have become ‘possessive’ about pixels.

grout4cake

I did not find her reply directed at you but an offering in a discussion..One morning I woke up to find a pinned had taken 59 pins from a board overniet, hours spent searching on a subject that she spent 10 minutes to appropriate. yes I felt violated. I restrict myself to 3 or 4 pins from one board or follow the person.It’s respectful.

Linda Mapplebeck

And I say to you as in my previous comments, you don’t own the pixels, to feel violated over someone sharing or adding the pins is ridiculous. Feel glad that someone else enjoys the same things as yourself and stop spending ‘hours’ stealing images from the internet. Get it into perspective go outside and look at real things, pinterest is great stop spoiling it by becoming greedy pin misers.

grout4cake

your language directed at mild comments : ” greedy, , ridiculous , misers “indicates that if there is any bullying going on , it is coming from your direction.

Linda Mapplebeck

I always find it interesting when people throw the ‘bully’ word into a discussion, I think if you read my comments I do not raise the issue of bullying, so am not sure what you mean by ‘if there is any bullying going on’. I would just like to say I am not the person moaning about people using what I don’t own and blocking strangers who enjoy what I enjoy. Now you obviously see yourself as some sort of ‘word police’ as well. I want to share pins with all but you want to block people and feel offended if they Repin ‘your’ pins, plus you want to analyse my words and name call ? Sorry who is a bully ? I wish you well

Lori Ann Christina

Last night I was banned (for the first time) by someone because I must have pinned one to many of her fashion pins. Couldnt have been more then 4 ( I like to pin to my Fashionista board in a block of the same color). I just laughed to myself that somebody could be that petty. Regardless I can still see her boards and pin the same images from other sources by clicking on the pin and seeing the similar pins or also pinned to….. I actually have more pins and more followers then this person so I must be doing something right and I am not a bot!! If the image is out there on the web you can find the image. Frankly those who cant play well with others should just make all their boards secret. , I am flattered when someone pins a bunch of my pins.So have at my pins!!

Linda Mapplebeck

Well said.

cesca_nz

NOT any more!!! Since Pinterest redesigned the board – there is now NO way that I know of to block anyone. There is NO little flag on the profile box of any pinner.

grout4cake

I see them in the upper right hand of the profile box all the time.

Melanie

How do I stop seeing posts from people that I don’t even follow in my Pinterest news. I’m friends with some people on Facebook but I don’t follow them on Pinterest and I don’t want to see their pins on my news feeds

Boop

Some people block just to block for no other apparent reason it seems. I think some just have issues of their own that makes them think blocking is a necessary measure for them to take. I have had this lovely experience recently being blocked by someone in multiple platforms. I do not spam anything on any social media platform, in fact far from it, as I am hardly ever on most of them. I occasionally like or share in various social media platforms, but rarely and its mediocre at best. I also do not harass, stalk, or otherwise bother anyone on these platforms, but yet one person finds it necessary to go out of their way to block me in several of them. I understand blocking. For me to feel the need to block someone, it would take legitimate harassment, or otherwise causing problems for me in these platforms for me to go to that extreme. So far I haven’t had to block anyone for misuse or abuse of what these platforms are intended for. This is what the block feature is intended for, to stop misuse and abuse of the social media platform, not on a whim of some idiot with a trigger happy finger.

Keepmeprivate

I there a way to prevent people in my block list to search and see my pins?

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